Saban was referring then to the very sort of warp-speed offense favored by the Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC): tons of plays, huddling as an afterthought, defensive linemen staggering and wheezing. Clearly, that can give an offense a tremendous advantage. Saban, although he backtracked some from the statement this week, seems to consider it a safety issue for defenses.

Of course, stepping on the field with the Tide (9-0, 6-0) is a safety issue of a different sort for true freshman Manziel and his entire upset-minded team. Might Alabama be a bit flat emotionally coming off the tear-jerking victory at LSU? Sure, it’s possible. The Aggies better hope so.

3. No. 13 Oregon State at No. 16 Stanford (3 p.m., FOX). Can we take a moment right now to give the Pac-12 North the love it deserves? Both the Beavers (7-1, 5-1) and the Cardinal (7-2, 5-1) still have Oregon in their futures, so the winner here will have Rose Bowl dreams very much alive.

Which brings us to Cody Vaz and Kevin Hogan, the starting quarterbacks for this game—two guys whose names were known near and narrow at the start of the season, or even just a few weeks ago. What we’ve been reminded of by their play is that Mike Riley, David Shaw and their coaching staffs are terrific at developing quarterbacks. They may be buried deep in Matt Barkley’s and Marcus Mariota’s shadows, but they don’t represent weak spots for their terrific teams. And one of them is going to emerge from this matchup in a starring role.

4. Penn State at No. 18 Nebraska (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2). Needless to say, there have been many years when a matchup of the Nittany Lions (6-3, 4-1) and Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-1) would’ve been—what’s that vastly overused word I’m trying to excise from my vocabulary?—oh, yes. Epic.

Not recently, though. Both programs have been sub-championship-level for a while now.

But the great thing about this year’s game—especially in light of last year’s, which came on the heels of Joe Paterno’s firing—is that neither Penn State nor Nebraska can be lumped in with the massive mess that is the Big Ten in 2012. The Huskers are deserving leaders of the Legends Division. And the Nits have been far better since starting 0-2 than anyone had a right to expect.

5. West Virginia at Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2). Take off your BCS goggles, if you’re willing, and throw on a beer helmet. You know, one of those stylish contraptions with the straws that convey the golden goodness from atop your noggin right into your mouth. What could be more fun than that?

And, though there will be nothing major at stake when the Mountaineers (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) and Cowboys (5-3, 3-2) square off, it sure should be one heck of a good time to watch.

“It should be a lot of fun for all parties involved,” said WVU’s Dana Holgorsen, who, along with several members of his staff, used to work for Mike Gundy.

“It’s like we’re looking in a mirror,” Holgorsen said of the teams’ approaches both offensively and defensively.

It’s too bad these teams haven’t turned out to be must-see TV on a weekly basis, but facing each other? You don’t want to miss this.

Four of a Kind: Win or else

1. Could No. 22 Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2 SEC) have bombed more resoundingly in its past two games, at Alabama and at home vs. Texas A&M? No, siree. So forget about the Bulldogs, who aren’t about to pass this test at No. 9 LSU (7 p.m., ESPN).

But the Tigers (7-2, 3-2) still have their minds wrapped around a BCS berth—as they should. Let your minds go to a Florida loss at Florida State, followed by a Georgia loss to Alabama in the SEC title game. At 10-2, LSU would be golden.

So it’s win or else.

“A championship-style effort and a championship-style football team are still very much our need and want,” Les Miles said this week, as only Les Miles could. “The opportunity to do some very significant things this season is still in front of this team.”

2. Let’s see, we’ve got 9-0 (4-0 Big East), 11th-ranked Louisville taking on 4-5 (3-2) Syracuse at the Carrier Dome (noon, ABC) … what do you suppose the point spread is in a silly mismatch like this one? Two touchdowns? Three?

There simply is no respect out there for what Louisville is doing this season. Some Sporting News fool even picked the Orange to win this game. The Cardinals, it seems, have to go 12-0 or else no one will give them the time of day.

3. We never would’ve expected Wisconsin at Indiana (noon, ESPN2) to matter, but it sure does. The Hoosiers (4-5, 2-3)—thanks to Ohio State’s (and Penn State’s) bowl-ineligibility—have a real shot to “win” the Leaders Division and go to the Big Ten title game, which would bring the Rose Bowl into their sights in a manner so real, it’s just plain crazy to think about. All Kevin Wilson’s team has to do is knock off No. 3 quarterback Curt Phillips and the Badgers (6-3, 3-2).

Note to Wilson: Win, or else you’ll never get back into this position. Sorry, but we both know it’s true.

4. Missouri at Tennessee (12:21, SEC Network) somehow fails to whet the appetite. Unless, that is, you have an appetite for blood. Derek Dooley, coach of the hapless Vols (4-5, 0-5), must beat the Tigers (4-5, 1-5) or else he can kiss his job goodbye. Or maybe he can kiss it goodbye regardless.

Three Things I Don’t Want to Know Yet But Am Afraid I Already Do

1. No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Notre Dame are 10-0 already. There is zero chance Oregon at California (10:30 p.m., ESPN) or Notre Dame at Boston College (8 p.m., ABC) turns into a real game. The Bears (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12) and Eagles (2-7, 1-5 ACC) are two of the most lifeless teams in college football.

2. Arizona State (5-4, 3-3) probably can’t beat No. 21 USC (6-3, 4-3) in Los Angeles (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network), but we might as well put the Sun Devils’ 400 yards of offense on the board right now and see where they can take it from there. Why shouldn’t the Sun Devils shred the Trojans’ defense? Everyone else is doing it.

3. Vanderbilt (5-4, 3-3) was supposed to be the Cinderella of the SEC, but a loss at Mississippi (7 p.m., ESPNU) will end any notions of that. With another victory on Saturday, the Rebels (5-4, 2-3) will be the Cinderella of the entire country.

Two Underdogs You Definitely Should Bet Your House On

1. Northwestern +10 at Michigan (noon, ESPN). It’s high time the Wildcats (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) come through late in a tough game. They’re good enough to beat the Wolverines (6-3, 4-1) and, short of that, good enough to cover this outsized spread.

2. Baylor +21.5 at No. 14 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., FSN affiliates). Nah, the Bears (4-4, 1-4 Big 12) probably won’t win in Norman. That’s hard to imagine, right? But they’ve got the most productive offense in the land—and the Sooners (6-2, 4-1), lugging around the disappointment of losses to Kansas State and Notre Dame, can’t possibly be sky-high for this game. Watch Nick Florence lead his team to a bunch of touchdowns and thank me later.

One More Thing

Last week in prime time, we got Alabama at LSU. This week, we get Mississippi State at LSU. Apples and past-their-sell-date oranges.

Last week, we got Oregon at USC. This week, we get Oregon at Cal. Oy.

And don’t get me started on Notre Dame at BC or No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) at Auburn (7 p.m., ESPN2). Actually, do, for as long as it takes to say this: Gene Chizik.